<BR>Derek Deane reminds us what ballet lost when the world lost Diana:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo=LlLLKixd&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/5/30/bterin30.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo<BR>=LlLLKixd&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/5/30/bterin30.html</A> <P>there are some great stories and links attached to this article too - at the side and at the bottom.<P>i've titled THIS thread THIS way, because i'm sure derek will continue to keep us informed re the state of ballet as he sees it: always interesting, sometimes amusing, often provocative...more power to you, derek! <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited June 02, 2000).]

I see Deane as very much a mixed blessing. His comments about the shape of UK dancers should have recieved a public reprimand from the ENB Board. <P>Performance standards are generally high, I'm puzzled by the comment from Ismene Brown that - <P>'Since his talent includes the remarkable Tamara Rojo - about to leave for the Royal Ballet - and the pure-lined Erina Takahashi (who will be first-cast Aurora) he can feel satisfied.'<P>It's not clear why Rojo is going, but the ENB rep is not the most interesting for the dancers and I'm told that some 20 dancers have left in the past year. Programming has been better over the past 12 months and I have been delighted with works such as 'Sphinx' and 'Apollo', but at least one Principle has said that they would love to do more of such pieces. Apart from the mega-productions, ENB performed something like 24 Nutcrackers last December plus a further number in January. <P>Taken with Klimentova's unavailability, ENB is desperately short of Principals. An injury to one of the remaining handful would leave them very exposed.<P>

Yes, Stuart, the ENB repertory is a bore these days. In autumn, they are only touring with Swan Lake before their Christmas run of Nutcracker. Probably Derek Deane thinks his dancers need a heavy dose of the Tchaikovsky classics - Sleeping Beauty now, Swan Lake, then Nutcracker. <P>And I heard that in 2001, the repertory is not any more exciting - Giselle, and then the Australian tour of Romeo & Juliet.